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Friday, July 10, 2015

Redesigning Our Future - Eco-Olympics

Ready, Set . . . Go

By Kayla Blackburn

On Thursday night, a series of Eco-Olympics events were held between randomly divided teams, allowing a respite from focus groups to create new friendships. Each self-named team had to compete in assorted events in both physical and mental fields, led by their skilled counselors.

The games began with a competition that involved each team choosing a popular song and rewriting the lyrics (while also choreographing some awesome dance moves) in a way that dealt with the environment . . . with only 10 minutes to use! The teams then had to perform their songs in front of all the campers at the Summit.

Some song examples were parodies of "Shake It Off" renamed "Save the Earth" and "Let It Go" as "Let It Grow." Not only did these presentations provide a great laugh, but they also ignited many ideas about conservation and recycling.

The next events were the Sack Race, the Three-Legged Race, and the Wheelbarrow Race. Teams demonstrated extreme physical power throughout these races, persevering through warm Carolina temperatures.

The final event was a battle of the mind. Five trivia questions were asked, and each team collaborated in answering them to the best of their ability, testing their environmental knowledge as potential environmentalists.

The Forest Fires, led by counselor Forest Fulgate, won first place. Counselor Ashley Everidge's Ferocious Ferrets came in second place, and counselor Seth Stephens' Vicious Vipers placed third.

The Eco-Olympics was a fun event for all, from professors to counselors to campers, promoting both bonding and environmental stewardship at our 2015 National Environmental Summit.